. . . Kerrie L. Carlisle Palmer

Time To Dance

Leap year gave us a gift–24 extra hours. Seriously. it’s a brilliant idea to keep the world caught up with some extra time.There never seems to be enough time.

We are given a certain amount of time to live. In that time we are to live purposefully. If we are honest, most of us have wasted a significant amount of time.

Consider: For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. (Ecc. 3: 1-4, NLT).

So. Do you believe there is a time for everything, including death? What would happen if you had one more day to live?
What would be different?
What would be the same?

When my friend told me he did not have much time to live, I could not believe it . . . did not want to believe it . . . and hoped he did not believe it. We were young and healthy. It seemed like we had so much time ahead. But, somehow he knew.
So.
He asked some of us to dance in the rain. We did. At the time, it seemed random; however, looking back I see that it was part of his legacy. It was as if it released us to be free in the moment and grateful to be alive.

A few months later, he was hit on an Oregon highway by a drunk driver. He was injured, more than we knew at the time. We sat and talked on a rainy afternoon as he lay in his hospital bed. His words were memorable; he said to consider the day as a gift of life to be experienced . . . celebrated . . . and remembered. And, he reminded me to take time to dance in the rain. He took his last breath on earth a few days later.

There’s a time to dance.

Dancing At Tiffany's Wedding

The thing is . . . I want to spend more time dancing in the rain and less time complaining about the rain.

Day 15 of 40-days of intentional gratefulness: Grateful there’s a time to dance. So. I will.